Autonomy among Indigenous women in Rural Colombia: “free to be, think, and act in our territory”

Abstract There is limited qualitative research to support the use of the most common conceptualizations and operationalizations of women’s autonomy, especially in the Latin American context and even more so for Indigenous populations. This study uses photovoice, a photography-based Participatory Action Research method, to conduct a qualitative assessment of how female Indigenous smallholding farmers from Nariño, Colombia, define women’s autonomy and which factors facilitate and hinder their autonomy. Results show that women felt autonomous when: a) they were free to make decisions important to them and to express themselves; b) they had opportunities to be economically independent doing work they valued; and c) their cultural and collective autonomy was effectively protected. Significant barriers to autonomy included issues related to colonization, the devaluation of women’s work, machismo culture, limited access to education (traditional and formal), and unjust employment opportunities. The use of Photovoice proved to be a valuable qualitative approach for studying this particular group by empowering participating Indigenous women to share their experiences, perspectives, and knowledge. The results from this study can inform local policies and programs, improve the interpretation of quantitative results from similar contexts, and facilitate the development of quantitative tools to measure women’s autonomy more effectively.